Rashid Dilworth Silvera ’67 (who was Ronald Keith Dilworth when at Williston Academy) was featured on New York’s Fox New recently. Mr. Silvera is an inspiring role model to his students at Scarsdale High School and a path-breaking fashion model on the side.
You can see the report online. Congratulations to Mr. Silvera!
Bridget Instrum ’12 continues to do amazing things in the lacrosse world, recently scoring a hat trick in a game against Ursinus to give her Middlebury team the 5-1 win. The game was a NCAA Regional Final and moved the Panthers on to the national semifinals. According to WCAX.com, Middlebury has had 19 victories this fall, matching a program record set back in 2003, and has advanced to the semifinals for the sixth time.
Jeanne Hyland ’71 is an award-winning artist whose still lifes, nudes, and portraits are currently on display at City of Brea Art Gallery and EXPO New Mexico in Albuquerque. She received a BFA (magna cum laude) in figure sculpture and watercolor from the University of New Hampshire and studied at École des Beaux Arts, St. Etienne, France. As someone who has enjoyed making and creating since grade school, Ms. Hyland says she has a constantly evolving style that is heavily influenced by her teaching. And to all those budding artists out there, Ms. Hyland notes that watercolor paintings are not as hard as they seem.
“Watercolor is SUCH a flexible painting medium,” she notes. “I’ve developed a way to keep the watercolor “workable” for hours, and you can also then rehydrate the paint later on to make changes.”
1. You have been teaching art workshops all over the world. Can you tell us how you first got interested in art and how did your career in art begin? How much does your teaching influence your own art?
It seems that I just naturally was good at it right from the start. I was very good at all the hand manipulation “intelligence” tests in early nursery school! And I enjoyed fiddling with paints, pencils, arranging flowers…very quiet and self-directed activities. And I had a fabulous art teacher in grade school and beyond. I can see now that she had great projects and entered us in Scholastic Art Awards. I got lots of attention early on for being good at it—that certainly encouraged me to continue and I enjoy making things. I got terrible marks in handwriting in grade school… guess my cursive was a little too wild. I still like to “make stuff.”
Paula Monopoli ’76 was recently selected as a “champion of excellence” for the University of Maryland, Baltimore as part of that school’s advertising campaign. According to the UMB website, the campaign highlights ” individuals and teams that exemplify extraordinary accomplishment and represent excellence at the University.” Ms. Monopoli was selected for her work as the founding director of the Women, Leadership, & Equality Program at the Carey School of Law, a program that empowers women to achieve powerful positions in law. As an honoree, Ms. Monopoli, who is also a professor of law, will be featured on electronic billboards around Baltimore, be in The Daily Record, and be featured on such university publications as the school’s homepage and The Elm. Ms. Monopoli will also have a story in the Champions of Excellence section of the UMB website.
We had terrific weather for Homecoming Weekend, and everyone enjoyed the four terrific food trucks—the Bistro Bus, SugarBakers Cupcake Truck, Chef Bob’s Buns on the Run, and the Holyoke Hummus Company owned by John Grossman ’87. Because of the Shaler Invitational the trucks stayed out on Galbraith Fields longer than planned, but the weather was great and the crowds were enjoying the afternoon. Paul Bricker in the Physical Plant Department deserves special thanks for making sure that electricity got to all the food trucks and staying to make sure nothing went amiss.
At 3:00 p.m., the Pioneer Valley Beer and Wine Tour began. Although it was a smaller group, we had a great time. A Williston bus pulling in to a brewery or winery did get some stares, which was everyone found funny. It was great having Sara Harvey Lapan ’91, P’18 attend with her husband David and David’s parents, along with other alumni and faculty and staff.
Our first stop was Mineral Hills Winery (also known as Goddard Farms Orchards) in Florence. They import their grapes from California but also make an apple wine and a honey mead wine from apples and grapes grown in Massachusetts. The owner’s son went to Williston Northampton (Charles Goddard ’09) and is currently studying in Paris. Beyond the wine, they also make their own honey. 
The next stop was Black Birch. The winery is an idyllic setting, up on a hill with grapevines growing in the background and a view of Mt. Tom and Valley. We enjoyed some terrific wines, including Epic, a white blend, and Iced Wine. From Black Birch we headed to Abandoned Building Brewery, which is behind Eastworks. The neighborhood is starting to be home to more breweries, including New City Brewery, which just opened.
